Nairobi To Host Second International Design Conference With UoN

Nairobi International Design Conference (NIDEC) will run for two days on the 25th and 26th of May. NIDEC is targeting design students, academicians, professionals, and stakeholders.

The Design Kenya Society (DKS) in collaboration with the University of Nairobi, School of Arts and Design, have partnered to bring together design students, academia and design stakeholders under the Nairobi International Design Conference (NIDEC). The two-day conference running from the 25th to the 26th of May 2017 will focus on the theme: Integrated Design Solutions for a Better Africa- Seeing the ‘Big Picture’ thus positioning design as a catalyst for accelerated development, industrialization, communication and education in Kenya.

NIDEC is the brainchild of the Design Kenya Society (DKS), a not-for-profit society that draws its membership from the various design disciplines. The aim of the Design Kenya Society is to promote professional and environmentally sensitive design practices in Kenya, as well as lobby for enhanced awareness and consumption of design.

NIDEC 2017 is targeting students and professionals in the design fields of Industrial, Product. Interior, fashion, Graphic, Web and Illustration. It is estimated that over 3 million young people are engaged in one way or another in design-related fields in Nairobi. The objective of NIDEC is to provide a platform to develop solutions that are more effective, efficient, desirable, useful and long lasting.The conference aims to address sustainable solutions for Africa’s social challenges using integrated design approaches.

“Design recognizes and encourages trans- disciplinary effort and user involvement in the development of hybrid solutions for a better Africa,” Dr. Lilac Osanjo, Chairperson of The Design Kenya Society. “This year there is a lot to look forward to at the NIDEC 2017. For the last six years, one of our own, Prof Mugendi K. M’Rithaa has been at the helm of the World Design Organization (WDO). We will be celebrating the end of his term by welcoming the World Design Organization board members to Nairobi as part of the NIDEC conference activities.” Design Kenya Society is represented at the WDO through Network of Afrika Designers (NAD) that has a presence in 11 African countries.

The first day of the conference 25th May, is Africa Day, an annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). It will have a special focus on establishing where the design journey is and how much further it can go. The other conference activities include student challenge competition, special workshops, paper presentations, and reflections. Facilitators include prominent local and international designers.